Forest Love
by xSandMx
Summary: It's inevitable that Paul should imprint on Rachel, but is his love enough to keep her with him in this god forsaken place?
1. Chapter 1

**Forest Love. **

**Paul- Phase one**

_Shit_! Paul hurried towards the forest as he heard the deep throaty howl beckoning him to his duty. He sighed and then increased his speed as the prolonged howl rung with urgency. It couldn't be anything serious, it never was nowadays- the pack were getting bored and restless patrolling the reservation with nothing else to do. The most that caused even a slight stir now was the continuous trend of the **imprint **working its way through the group. Paul spat on the ground, _like that wasn't a problem of its own. _

It wasn't that he didn't like what he was or that he wished to be _normal_, it was anything but _that. _Frankly, when he walked around town seeing the oblivious faces, ignorant to the real world hiding right under their noses, it gave him a deep satisfaction. It pleased him that he lived in the real world that most only saw in the movies.

Paul's life was full of perks as part of his _real_ job but the pretence of living through the **bullshit **to keep the chins from wagging really worked him up. He shook his head, shaking away the anger that had already started coursing through his veins, clearing his head before entering the forest and phasing.

A smirk crept up on to his lips as the power surged through him when he turned in to what he really was. A deep guttural growl erupted from his mouth, sounding from deep in his throat as he purred in appreciation. Being _human _was never his true form, he didn't feel the attachment to it like he did with his alternate existence. The smell, the taste, the touch... Everything was different. A _good _difference. The absolute ultimate experience selectively chosen for him and his brothers. Why? Because Paul was a **werewolf**...


	2. Chapter 2

**Paul- **

Paul Lahote lived in a small two bedroomed flat hidden away at the end of a cul de sac. Sometimes, Paul really did feel he was shunned to the corner of the earth, as he ate dinner alone for the fifth night running. He'd had friends before, but since joining the pack he had neglected them and even they had became tiresome after receiving no replies to their countless calls and texts. This had all been for their safety, as Paul had trouble trying to deal with his anger and often phased without any advance notice, keeping away from people as a precaution. He was getting better now, and for the most part only phased when he needed to but by the time he had learnt to control his feelings, it had been too late and his friends were long gone.

Now, Paul was often alone in this poky flat, when he wasn't working or carrying out his patrolling in the forest, and the boys saw his loneliness through his thoughts. They invited him over and tried to include him in all the activities but most had imprints and as much as they tried to work against it, it always became a couples affair.

With nothing to do but to clean up after his pathetic excuse for a father he decided to leave the claustrophobic room that was getting stuffier and stuffier by the minute and decided to go for a walk and get some fresh air.

There was a chill in the air that would have made any normal person shiver as they walked out, but Paul could barely feel the temperature change, and soon started up a sprint when walking got too tedious. He considered going in to the forest for a run but he didn't feel like allowing the others to invade his thoughts. That was one of the downs of being a werewolf, the rest of the pack could read his thoughts, when sometimes he just wanted to be alone. The others were understanding and gave privacy when needed, but the worst part was seeing their minds working to protect their imprints. It was inhuman the way they thought about them constantly, like every part of them was forced to react in a manner that benefited their imprint, some thing that was more important than their **life**. Although the others were content in feeling this way, Paul wasn't too sure he liked the idea of it and tried to keep away from any girls who looked like they'd make the perfect candidate. He did want to meet someone eventually, but more because they'd chosen each other than because nature was forcing them to be together.

He looked up and realised he'd run further out than he'd thought, noticing a small church perched idly on top of the hill, looking abandoned. He didn't usually come to this part of town, as it was known for being derelict and run down, yet he felt drawn towards the old building. He'd visited the church a handful of times, for various funerals and christenings, but apart from that he hardly bothered. He wasn't very religious, but he decided to go in and see to his faith, thinking this sudden urge to go in could be a message from God, himself. Inside, the place was deserted and he went closer towards the huge crucifix delicately erected at the front of the room. Preparing to kneel down in position for his prayer, Paul scanned the eerily quiet surroundings.

A sound suddenly penetrated the silence causing his instincts to kick in as his astute hearing picked up the weak whimpering. The very sound broke his heart as it went splintering in to a million different directions, causing his insides to heave with grief as he tried to come to terms with what he was feeling. Paul felt his heart seize as if his whole life was pulled in to a depression as he heard the dull tone. He followed the direction of the sound listening closely, the sound lead him around the corner towards the grave yard._ That was when he first saw her. _

"Can I help you sir?"

Paul unwillingly wrenched his gaze away, forcing himself to face the speaker. It was the local priest whom Paul had known since he was a child. The etchings around his mouth and eyes showed that he had lived life with laughter. Paul wondered for a moment why he hadn't noticed the elderly man approach, his senses had never let him down before.

"Ah, Mr Lahote- what brings you here today?" He could see the priests eyes focus over his shoulder, obviously seeing the girl, but he said nothing as humour danced in his great brown eyes.

"N-nothing sir," Paul stuttered "I've gotta be goin' now anyway,"

"This is a place of worship Paul, don't hurry your time with God for he takes his time with us," and with that he left briskly, giving the impression that he was a busy man not accustomed to idle chit chat.

Paul blew out a deep breath, and turned hoping to catch another glimpse. She was gone. Paul turned back to the crucifix and looked at the domineering statue of Jesus_, _as thoughts of her beauty danced in his mind. _Who was she? _He wondered.


	3. Chapter 3

**Home Sweet Home**

**Rachel **

Rachel Black had tried to keep away from her childhood home of La Push as much as she could since her mother died in a car crash years ago. Even now as she drove through the all too familiar streets the memories came flooding back, lifting the lid on the many scars she'd carefully stored away, never to resurface again. Yet here they were, buzzing around her mind causing her to lose control mentally.

She groaned inwardly, deciding to shift her attention elsewhere before the pain slowly creeping through her became all too consuming. _She couldn't take this! _Even now as she drove towards the little cottage where her dad and baby brother lived, Rachel was still questioning the motive of moving back here. She was a city girl through and through, yet it felt like some part of her had been left here, pulling her back like a magnetic force, as cliché as that was.

She had considered moving in with her twin sister Rebecca who was happily married in Hawaii, but the thought of living with a couple felt quite depressing. You know what they say- _Two's company, three's a crowd. _Rachel had, had her fair share of relationships, the last thing she needed was to sit in on someone else's.

So instead, Rachel had given in to her fathers constant pestering to come back home and decided to settle on working in the small reservation temporarily. _Temporarily. _She stressed the word in her mind knowing the last thing she wanted, was to get too attached to a place that wasn't welcome in her life.

The first thing she had wanted to do since entering the town was to see the place where her mother was resting.

Parking in the car park of the small grave yard Rachel walked towards her mothers grave. Every member of her family had been buried here and she could see the names and dates. Working her way past the generations of ancestors, she finally paused at her mothers grave. **Sarah Ann Black**- **1964-2000**.She kneeled down next to her mother, brushing away the remnants of the flowers laid before, presumably by her dad, and placed the carefully wrapped flowers underneath her mothers name.'_I wish you were still here mom_' she thought beseechingly as she felt the moisture run down her cheeks. For the first time in so long, Rachel let the tears flow freely as she cried for the woman who had nurtured her and created the path towards who she was today. _' I've neglected this place, but I'm back now ma, back to take care of dad' _

After spending the remainder of the morning at her mothers grave, Rachel left for her home at noon, taking the short-cuts and town roads which were all to familiar to her. Within fifteen minutes she was already passing her primary school and the community hall which had held all the family occasions, making her feel giddy with excitement. She neared her house at the far end of the street and turned in to the driveway taking a deep breath and sniffing the surroundings. Her lips twitched in to an immediate grin, 'Hmm_ there really was no place like home'. _


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note: Hi everyone!**

**The last few chapters were written over a year ago, and it's only now that I've decided to publish my fan fiction on here.**

**Hope you're enjoying this story :) If you are, then please leave a review, constructive or otherwise... He will be meeting Rachel soon, I promise - I'm just building up a back-story first. I also don't know if they're long enough or not- I know many of you may be reading these on your phones so I'll try not to make them too long so you're not straining your eyes! Anyways I must dash- don't forget to review! Happy Reading**

**- SM x **

**Disclaimer: Twilight does not belong to me, all works that are in conjunction with Twilight belong to Stephanie Meyer. Obv ;) x**

**Paul: Meeting the Bloodsuckers**

The rest of the day went by in a haze, duties were done, perimeters had been checked, yet Paul had no recollection of anything being completed, since visiting the church. He didn't understand what this was, it felt as if his body was intoxicated with something, which left him confused about such an alien feeling.

_"Hey man. What's up? You wanna talk?" _It was Sam.

"_I didn't even hear you phase." _He replied. Either Paul was losing his senses or something was at a loss, as he thought about how his senses had failed him twice in one day.

_"Yeh, seems you had other things on your mind," _Sam looked him straight in the eyes, his gaze penetrating, it felt as though he was burning a hole in to Paul's skull, trying to discern his thoughts. As if he had to try, the guy could see everything he was thinking!

Sam was the alpha of the pack, the leader. While most men had to put great effort in to being the alpha-male, it came naturally to Sam, as if he was made for it. When Paul and Jared had gone through their changes, Sam had been patient and had taught them how to deal with phasing and controlling their anger, which Paul still had issues with sometimes. He felt a lot of respect for Sam, while they had him to lean on, Sam had been alone when he'd discovered what he was, until Jared had joined him, and then Paul. It wasn't long now, until Jacob and his friends joined too, which worried Sam as they were just kids, not ready for this brutal world just yet.

_"Like I said, If you wanna talk, I'm here brother," _Sam cut in to his thoughts, before galloping off, his huge paws leaving prints in the soft mud.

_"Don't forget it's Rachel's home-coming party tonight! Billy wants everyone to be there to welcome her home," _he called over his shoulder, before disappearing out of sight, probably to phase back, as his thoughts became silent.

Paul sighed. Billy had been trying to get his daughter to come back for as long as he could remember. While Jacobs other sister had settled down away from here, Rachel had always appeared to him, as a floater. A girl who couldn't be pinned down by any man, not even her father. He hadn't seen Rachel in years, and while they had spent the latter half of their school years in the same friendship circle, he doubted he'd be able to recognise her these days.

Suddenly he heard loud, thunderous footprints, obviously not belonging to his pack. _Bloodsuckers. _Instinctively, he put his weight on his hind legs, getting ready to pounce. His hatred for them boiling over, as he could smell their disgustingly sweet fragrance, making his eyes water and his stomach turnwith disgust. He could hear their pace slow down as they neared his location, which caused him to wonder how they knew he was there in the first place. Even if their senses were of equal brilliance to his, he knew he had been quiet in his position long enough to deter any other sort of creature away.

The vampires walked in to the clearing, pale faced and cold, yet their faces revealing nothing of the reason for their presence here. They were lead by Dr Carlisle Cullen, the only one he recognised, from his trip to the hospital as a child, when he had broken his foot after falling out of a tree. The rest of the Cullens stood back, forming a perfect V behind the doctor, as if posing for a modelling shoot. The lips of the youngest, (looks-wise at least) a sandy-haired boy, twitched, as if sharing a joke with himself, while Paul stood uneasily unsure of what to do.

There were 7 of them, he noticed, and although he was obviously outnumbered, he knew that Dr Cullen and his family were the most civilised of their kind, only relying on animal blood. Nature insisted that they were enemies, yet a treaty had been put in place by their ancestors, to maintain civility between them, so they could continue living close-by. It was known that they lived in a huge house, at the edge of the forest, on the outskirts of Forkes, where they pretended to live as a human family. They travelled in pairs with their life-time mates, except the youngest boy who was rumoured to be dating the daughter of Billy's friend Charlie Swan.

The doctor and his wife looked to be in their twenties, while he had blonde hair and a height of over 6ft, she claimed a heart-shaped face with dimples and caramel coloured hair. The rest of them, with equal measures of excruciating beauty, all stood perfectly straight in their positions. A blonde girl who looked no older than around 18, was stood behind a big muscular boy with dark curls and a baby face. His stance was protective over her, and Paul could immediately see who the couples were. A tall boy of similar age, with honey blonde hair stood with his arm wrapped around the waste of a petite, pixie-like girl. The youngest boy stood between them, with his bronze, unruly hair making him look like he was in a TV ad for some sort of hair product.

They obviously had business to discuss and as much as he hated them, they showed no harm towards him that he'd need to attack. He thought about phasing back, but didn't feel it necessary for them to see him naked, instead he looked at Dr Cullen in expectation of what needed to be said.

"We need to pass a message on to your leader, Sam," he said meaningfully, his gaze watching Paul's every move, his senses listening out for anything unusual outside of the clearing.

In this sense, the vampires were just like them, but this was where the similarities ended. They were monsters, unnatural in terms of every existence, yet without them, Paul wouldn't even be a shape-shifter, a werewolf, and he didn't know if he would like that life any more than he did as part of the pack. Legends of shape-shifters had been part of his ancestral legacy for as long as he could remember, while as a youngster he had thought of them as stupendous tales, created by the 'oldies' to keep the youngsters entertained, he now understood the full wrath of what it involved. When the Cullens had moved back to town, the elders waited in anticipation for the re-birth of the legends in modern life, and when they discovered that Sam had phased, it wasn't long for Jared and Paul to join, as if a domino effect had befallen the Quiliete boys.

The sandy-haired boy continued to watch him with interest, his eyes boring in to Paul, adding to his unease. Paul noticed that the boy immediately softened his gaze, making his marble face appear friendlier. Finding all this too strange, he looked towards the doctor again, expecting him to continue.

Cleating his throat (like vampires would in human presence), Dr Cullen continued with what he was saying.

"My daughter Alice," he gestured towards the small, pixie-like girl, who beamed at him in return.

"She is able to see the future, and she has seen a change that may affect your people, as well as ours. We think it is time to build a connection between us, to create a force greater than the bad times ahead. We do not yet know what will happen, but we do know there are dark times to come. We would like to meet with the leader of your pack to discuss all the details. Tell him to come to the edge of the clearing near our house tomorrow night, and I will be there to meet him," with that, he turned to look at the sandy-haired boy, who continued to gaze at me.

"I know what you think of us," the boy hissed. "You can keep those thoughts to yourself,"

Dr Cullen looked at him with concern, and then turned to Paul to explain. "Edward here, can read thoughts, I assume your leader will be there tomorrow evening?"

He tried not to look too astounded, at the fact that they seemed to have supernatural talents, but he knew that these magical powers were no match for their pack. Not that he wouldn't enjoy testing his abilities against the bloodsuckers to show them who's boss. _'He will.' _Paul told him, seeing Edward immediately nodding his answer to his father. With that, Paul turned and left the clearing, hoping he gave them the impression of authority to let them know the pack weren't taking any shit from them. They could organise their meetings all they wanted, but they couldn't order the werewolves to do anything unless it was on their terms. He hurried his steps, to get dressed in time for Billy's party, so he could tell Sam of what he had learnt from the Cullens.


	5. Chapter 5

**Big thank you to Lizzy148, your review today really got me back in to this... x**

Having been home for a day had already filled Rachel with dread as she looked around at the homecoming party that surrounded her. While her mother had been a quiet woman, preferring to stay privately away from social gatherings, her father was quite the opposite, always ready to make a public affair of every detail. Thus, she stood around in her only party frock, welcoming guests who in turn covered her with kisses, thrusting presents in her arms. She wasn't being ungrateful, she understood that these were the very people who helped Billy Black to get by all these years without a wife, sending platters of home-cooked meals and other fancies in wrappings of newspaper, and including him in their societal chit chat that had kept him content enough to continue living with his youngest child in a blissful haven, away from turning to alcohol in his most depressing times.

She gazed around at the party guests and did her duty of smiling and welcoming, as she recognised familiar faces from her childhood. She enjoyed the way people in small towns had a tight unit, and realised how much shed missed the warmth of this kinship in the city.

"Sis! Welcome home!" Jacob grinned, as she looked up at what was meant to be her baby brother, but looked more like a nightclub bouncer. He had always been tall, yet now he towered over her and his bulging muscles looked big enough to rip out of his small clothes!

"Woah there Jay! When did you stop being a baby? Quit growing already!" She exclaimed in amazement, as he wolfed down two slices of pizza in one swift movement. "Leave some for the guests won't you?" She added, watching him eyeing up more food.

"Growing boy and all that," he shrugged, as he reached for a handful of pretzels, before she slapped him on the wrists. "Some things never change," he muttered gesturing at her, she gave him a reproachful glare in return.

"Anyway, how is my baby brother doing? Please don't tell me you have a girlfriend, I can't take you growing up so fast,"

Rachel noticed his face darken, and his lips turn down slightly as he speedily replied with a 'no'. She decided not to pursue the subject in front of an audience, and carefully tucked it away in her mind to address it later.

The front door opened to reveal yet another guest, bringing in a slight draught of wind with them as they entered. Rachel got ready to welcome the guest, but she barely recognised him. She watched as he looked around, obviously looking for someone. _Who is this guy? _She wondered, as she took in his dark dishevelled hair, with chocolate brown eyes set on a his olive toned face. He wasn't the average pretty boy but he definitely had something going about him that made his presence noticeable. Rachel admired his bulging muscles, similar to her brothers, (Had they opened a gym in the area?) watching as he walked towards Sam Uley. She tried to eavesdrop on their conversation, moving closer as both men seemed so intently concerned about their matters of discussion.

Rachel stared attentively at his face, trying to grasp his emotions. His features were childlike and innocent, yet his body betrayed his manliness, and although muscular men often acted like posers in the city, she knew this was far from him. She wanted to find out his name, talk to him for a while before he turned in tojust another figment of her imaginations. He was perfect.

Sam looked up, smoothing out his concerned features and smiling as he saw Rachel watching them. He tapped the shoulder of the boy and gestured towards her to introduce them. _Finally! _She watched them come closer, maintaining her gaze on the boy to make sure she caught his eye. She plastered on a smile on her face, waiting for him to look up.

What happened next she couldn't be sure of, it felt as though her presence had affected him although he barely knew her. She saw him look in to her eyes, a sudden shock filling them. She stared in to his eyes as she felt a warmth engulf her, and knew he felt this too as she noticed him gulp nervously. With that, he mumbled a quick hello, and bolted out the door without giving her a chance to reply.

"I'm sorry about Paul, he can be shy sometimes," Sam apologised for him and quickly followed his friend, leaving Rachel to collect her thoughts after that bizarre ordeal. She wasn't sure what affected her the most, the fact that he seemed to have this captivation over her and made her react in a way she'd never seen before, or his reaction to her.

Later that night, she lay awake thinking of Paul, wondering when she'd see him again.


	6. Chapter 6

Fighting Instincts

Paul felt his body shaking as he slammed the door to Billy Black's house -just short of shattering it to splinters- leaving the noises of the party behind him. He hurried away from the house as fast as he could, yet still feeling the urge to turn back at the same time. The thoughts in his head were as conflicting as his actions, the vibrations of his body continuing to catapult him in to a complete confusion of movements. _What is happening to me? _He tried to gain control of the spasms that were now consuming him, unsure of whether he was on the brink of phasing or not.

He heard Sam approaching from behind, his tension reflected in to the speed of his approach. _Was something bad happening?_ Paul worried himself analysing the situation that had just occurred, over and over in his head. He felt Sam's hand on his back, instantly causing his body to freeze and gain back the control of his body. Keeping his head on the ground to avoid Sam's obviously concerned gaze Paul mumbled a quick goodbye, and tried to leave.

"Look at me," Sam demanded, and he immediately looked at his alpha, an instinctive reaction caused by his DNA, despite the fact that he was trying to avoid looking at him. Human contact was the last thing Paul wanted, as he desperately tried to leave for some peace, needing time to comprehend his own actions. He watched as Sam looked deep in to his eyes, searching them for an answer, his hand securely holding his shoulder. He finally loosened his grip, allowing Paul to try to make a quick escape before he was commanded to stay.

"You've imprinted," Sam stated simply, continuing without a reply from Paul. "I know it's a scary thing to go through, believe me when I say I know what you're going through, but it isn't anything new. You just have to go back in there and meet her. Properly."

Turning with a look of complete shock spread across his face, Paul's eyes were bugged with his mouth dropping open, giving him that -deer caught in headlights- look. "I-I-I didn't imprint." He laughed shakily. "This is just, I don't know what it is, b-but I didn't imprint," he tried to sound sure, yet failed miserably while stuttering his way through each sentence.

"Look man, I know you're against imprinting, I've seen it in your thoughts," Paul scowled at Sam's confession of invading his privacy. "This is stupid, you can't fight against a natural urge. These are our instincts, you can't control them,"

"Watch me." Paul growled, before turning on his heels, running as fast as he could through the rain until he came to the edge of the forest, threw his clothes aside and phased. He ran in to the depths of the forest, finding a dry patch and sleeping there through the night.

Paul stirred, his eyes fluttering open tiredly, until two huge brown eyes above him made him start. _What do you want? _He stared back at Jacob Black accusingly, getting up and stretching his limbs out. He was in the mood for a fight, and none other than Jacob Black would be ready for it.

"_As much as I'd love to whoop your ass, right here, right now, and show you whose boss, Sam told me to find you and bring you back in one piece," _His eyes took on a mischievous gleam, and Paul knew he was trying to get a response out of him, and decided to avoid a fight just to piss Jake off. He set off around Jacob, heading towards home, smirking inwardly as he watched Jakes face drop. This boy had definitely been up for a fight.

"_Your dad's been worried because you didn't go home, the story is that you stayed at mine after the party," _Jake glanced at Paul, as he fell in to step beside him. The kid was strong for his age, and easily caught up to Paul which annoyed him considerably, causing him to increase his speed. He wasn't third-in-command to be out-run by a newbie.

"_How's it going with your leech-loving friend anyway?" _He laughed as he watched Jake's face fall. _"Chose the bloodsucker over you, did she?" _The boy really was crazy for chasing some plain girl, who was in close links with _them_.

"_At least there's more chance of me getting her, than there is of you ever getting a girl,"_ He retorted. _"What? No comeback?" _He grinned as Paul stayed silent, not wanting to reveal any information through his thoughts. Although Jacob was young, he was very sly at picking up idle thoughts and taunting people with them later on. It was best to stay careful until they reached their human form.

They quickly dressed at the edge of the forest, turning their backs towards each other for privacy.

"You want to come to our place? Everyone's there gobbling the left-over party food, I'm sure there's loads left," Jake told him. "Your old man won't be bothered anyway," He stated matter of factly.

"Actually, I-I erm I'd rather not. Got some stuff to do, thanks for the offer." Paul tried to keep their conversation civilised, as he prepared to make a swift exit. "I'll catch you guys later, remind Sam about meeting the Cullens later,"

Paul hurried away from Jake, working up to a light sprint until he got home. Not quite ready to face his dad, who would probably be sleeping or out working, he decided to take the car out to Seattle. Anything to stop him from ending up at the Black's house, which was exactly what he was avoiding.

He window-shopped the day away, not really looking at the mannequins strategically placed in shop windows to entice shoppers to buy the latest trends. Nothing really interested him, but he decided he wouldn't allow himself to return home empty handed. He entered a glossy store, clothes spread evenly around the room, yet making it look empty. He watched girls cooing over prom dresses, who then noticed him flashing him identical smiles and making eye contact. He sighed, and turned towards the men's section upstairs, running up two steps at a time to get there faster.

He browsed the shelves, looking for light clothes which could be easily removed when he was phasing, plus his body temperature was way too hot for extra layers.

"Paul, right?" He froze as he looked in to the same chocolate brown eyes that he had been trying to avoid since setting eyes on them. Rachel Black stood there, looking uneasy as she looked up at him, a pair of sneakers and a baseball cap in her hands.

"Those for you?" He pointed at the masculine garments, and then down at her feminine clothes admiring her curves until she caught him looking.

"You done checking me out?" She winked at him, laughing. The sound tinkled through the air, sounding like an angelic choir to his ears, he never wanted to hear another thing again, it was so addictive. "These are for Jake, you think he'll like them?" She held the up so he could examine them. "I need a male perspective,"

Paul tried not to look at her again, afraid she'd catch him staring again. He had suffered enough embarrassment for now, and there was no denying she'd tell Jake about it as soon as she got home.

"Erm, yeah I'm sure he'll love them," He tried to sound normal, but his voice came out croaky, showing his obvious discomfort around her, yet he wanted her to feel at ease around him.

"It's for his birthday. What have you bought him?" She asked, looking down at my empty hands.

"Actually, I was here looking for something he'll like," he lied, not ready to admit that he'd forgotten. "I best get going before shops shut,"

"Hey, wait! I'll help you find something. I'm kind of lonely shopping on my own anyway," She looked surprised as she said this, as if the words weren't coming out of her won mouth. "I missed the noise of the city when I woke up this morning, and then I got here and missed the quietness of the town. I'm really weird," She scrunched up her nose, and smiled, making her look like a little girl again.

"Fine, you can help me choose something," Paul sighed, bunching his hands in his pockets. He was adamant that this was not an imprint as he walked around the store with her, and tried to fight off the instinctual urge to stop any other man looking at her. She was perfect.

Rachel reminisced over their high-school days, filling the silence between them with her iridescent chatter, and occasionally picking out objects she thought Jake might like. Paul wasn't bothered about what he bought for Jake, but he continuously turned down her ideas to prolong their shopping trip, spending more precious minutes with her. Just because he wouldn't accept his imprint, didn't mean he couldn't bask in its happiness while he had the chance. Eventually the skies darkened and Paul bought Jakes gift, his heart dropping as he realised they would soon leave to go home.

"You wanna grab a bite to eat before we get home?" She looked at him hopefully, practically beaming when he agreed. "Great! I'm in the mood for a pizza, you?"

"Pizza sounds fine to me." Anything as long as he got to spend more time with her. With each minute she obliviously attracted him further in to her seduction, making him fall further and further in to her beauty.

They walked in to a small, cosy restaurant with dim lighting and candles. The air was infused with smells of garlic and fresh bread, making Paul's mouth water and his belly grumble as he realised just how famished he was. The waitress lead them to a secluded area in the corner of the restaurant, and made a fuss over their table but Paul barely looked at her face.

"You must get that a lot," Rachel said quietly, when the waitress had left.

Paul raised his eyebrows, confused at her subject of conversation. "What?"

"You know," She waved her hands in the direction the waitress had gone. "Girls fawning over you, when you look like... well look like that," She gestured at Paul's body, causing him to look down at himself.

"Like what?" He smirked.

"Don't mock me Paul Lahote," She giggled. "You know very well what I mean."

The ambient surroundings allowed him to survey her closely, as he drank in her beauty, relishing her long wavy hair and facial bone structure. She was naturally beautiful, her face glowing in the candle light and teeth sparkling as she smiled at him under her eyelashes. Paul shook his head slightly, shaking out these thoughts. He. Was. Not. Going. To. Give. In.

The meal went by too quickly in Paul's eyes, with regular intervals from the 'fawning' waitress as she dithered around them. Rachel frequently caught his eye and winked when she came, causing them both to burst in to fits of laughter, leaving the waitress hesitant as she tried to complete her tasks. Paul couldn't remember enjoying someone's company so much in his socially-lacking life, it felt so good to finally share a friendship with someone. _Maybe we could be friend, it doesn't necessarily mean we had to be anything more. _He constantly fought with his inner demons throughout the meal, trying to make sense of his actual feelings against those that were instinctive.

When they finished, he walked her slowly to her car, too busy enjoying the time he got to spend with her and not yet ready to let her go. It felt strange as he looked in to her eyes, ready to say good bye and leave. It wasn't until he was actually kissing her that he realised what was happening, her lips were soft under his and with each second the kiss deepened to dangerous levels. Quickly breaking the kiss he looked at her apologetically, before regretfully walking away from her. He couldn't stop thinking about the passion dancing in her eyes after the kiss, and although he wanted more he decided he had to keep away from Rachel Black.


	7. Chapter 7

"How is it? You know you could've come to Hawaii to stay with me and Solomon if you wanted, and finally meet your niece too!" Rebecca scolded Rachel over the phone.

Having spent 9 months together sharing a uterus, she had felt closest to Rebecca emotionally than anyone else in her life. She had been her consolation throughout the grieving period when their mother had died, and had looked out for her continuously since. While Rachel had taken to studying hard, Rebecca had spent her time being a doting wife and mother, which was much more of an accomplishment in Rachel's eyes than any of her good grades.

"I know, I know, but it was getting difficult turning dad down all the time. You should come down for a family reunion- it's been long overdue, and we all want to meet little Sarah," She smiled as she thought of the small, dark-haired girl in the photographs her sister sent. The fact that she was named after their mother always brought a smile to Billy Black's face when he thought of his grand-daughter, causing Rachel to blink back tears every time he spoke of her.

"You know how weird I'd find it if I came back, I don't even know how you're managing. I just don't get it, you're capable of so much, and you choose to go back to a small town and teach kids?" She could almost imagine the scowl that was sure to be on her sisters face.

"It doesn't matter, I actually quite like it here," She told her lightly. "I've got dad and Jake to keep me company," _And Paul_ she added mentally, his face buzzing around her mind- that is until she remembered the kiss, causing a whole new wash of rejection to hit her.

"What? You like it? Could this be to do with a guy?" _How had she picked up on that, _she wondered as she hesitated in to the phone, trying to figure out what to tell her sister.

"Rachel Black! You can't keep secrets from your sister like this! Spill or I'll ask Jake instead!" Rebecca screamed through the handset. "I can't believe you're keeping things from me!"

"I'm not, you're just assuming things!" Rachel answered hurriedly. Although she shared everything with her sister, she wanted to keep Paul to herself for now. "There's no one here, never mind a _guy!_"

After assuring her sister she wasn't seeing anyone, Rachel finally got out of bed on her lazy weekend afternoon. She padded downstairs barefoot, sure that the house would be empty, with Billy Black out fishing all day and Jacob doing God knows what. She got to work in the kitchen, deciding to reward herself with a fry-up while the house was still empty.

"Mmm something smells good,"

Rachel jumped, caught off guard by Paul's lithely figure leaning on the door frame, and burnt herself on the hot pan in the process.

"OOOWWW," she called out, hurriedly removing her hand from the heat and clutching it to her chest.

Woah! Hey let me see," he was suddenly right in front of her, palm outstretched, beckoning her to let him see her hand. Rachel suddenly felt awkward, not liking the thought of having physical contact with him, she took a step backwards trying to put more distance between them.

She saw his face drop, as he ran a nervous hand through his hair and sighed loudly. Her heart clenched at the thought of displeasing him, and she felt like retracting her movements and closing the gap between them. _What?_ She caught herself in time, memories of his reaction to her kiss clouding her mind.

"I-I'm it's fine, I'm okay," She stuttered, turning her back on him and going back to the stove to finish preparing her breakfast. She wasn't able to make rational decisions while facing him, and busying herself in the kitchen seemed like the best thing to do.

"Here, why don't you sit down, I'll make breakfast," He rushed to stand beside her, the heat emanating from his skin made her dizzy with pleasure.

She turned to look at him, a smile creeping up on her face.

"You? Make breakfast? Cook?"

He grinned, humour danced in his eyes. The beauty of his face was indescribable, her eyes roamed over his face drinking in his stunning features like his was the last face she'd ever see before plunging in to darkness.

"I can cook, why is that so hard to believe?"

"Erm you're a _boy_ from _La Push_, where boys think the kitchen is a forbidden place for men?"

He looked in to her eyes, his gaze becoming solemn. "Well, when you have to, you learn to fend for yourself," he told her sincerely, his angelic features making him appear vulnerable and child-like, as she thought of his motherless childhood.

"I'm sorry, I didn't think," She looked away, until he put his forefinger and thumb under her chin, turning her face towards him and tipping it up to make her look straight in to his eyes. His eyes were the colour of chocolate, flecks of gold and honey scattered across his iris making them seem almost troubled yet friendly, she felt mesmerised as his gaze penetrated her, making her feel... _naked?_ He leaned in to kiss her, she parted her lips and closed her eyes.

"Maybe you should let me cook breakfast and let the food do the talking,"he whispered, his earthly breath fanning her face. Her eyes flit open as she blinked, trying to hide her obvious blush at the way she had reacted to him. _Why did she become such a dumbo _around_ him?_

"Fine," she mumbled, rushing away to the furthest chair from him at the dining table. She nonchalantly pretended to do some work, while he busied away making the rest of their breakfast. She watched in secret awe at his culinary skills, as he balanced multiple plates over one arm.

"Were you a waiter too?" She asked, raising her eyebrows and motioning at the way he expertly delivered the food to the table.

"No, but is it impressing you? It always goes down well with the ladies," He winked at her.

She felt a pang of jealousy, thinking about all the other girls he might have cooked breakfast for, no doubt after a bout of love-making he would rule the kitchen to impress them, just as he was impressing her now.

"Nothing I haven't seen before," she stated matter of factly, relishing the way this had an obvious effect on him. His shoulders sagged, as he took the seat across from her and watched her eat.

"Not eating?" His plate was left untouched, as he watched her wearily.

"Can I ask you a question?" He asked, ignoring hers. She nodded, afraid of what he might ask, racking her brain for ways to avoid serious questions.

"Will you let me see the burn on your hand?" Reaching out across the table, he put his hand between them allowing Rachel to make the decision. She hesitated stunned by his request, but curiosity got the better of her as she tried to imagine what he would feel like under her touch. She reached out to him, meeting him halfway across the table where he picked her hand up to assess the burn.

The temperature of his hands were unbelievably high, encircling hers with warmth. She was sure he couldn't possibly be that hot, and considered it to be a figment of her imagination obviously confused by the intense situation. His hands were full of calluses, the hard skin feeling rough under her soft skin as he pushed down on the burnt skin making her hiss. Rachel watched as he lifted her hand closer to his face survey it closely, before his tongue darted out of his mouth and licked along the burn. She felt his hot tongue trace the burn, his saliva wetting her skin, before snatching it back, overwhelmed by the sudden rush of lust, or whatever it was she was feeling.

"What the hell are you playing at?" She yelled at him.

"It'll barely leave a scar now, I did you a favour," He told her, before calmly picking up his fork and tucking in to his plate, which by the way, was filled with more food than it was made for.

Rachel assessed the burn, and sure enough the skin had healed over where it had previously been. She pressed down on the skin, feeling no pain this time.

"Impossible," She whispered, staring at Paul dumbfounded, trying to think of a logical explanation for what had just occurred.

"Possible, Miss School-Teacher thinks she knows it all," He smirked. "Find an explanation for this in your books,"

"Are you challenging me?" She retorted, defiantly.

"I'm not doing anything," She really wanted to wipe that annoying smirk off his face. He obviously didn't value her intelligence.

"Fine," She scowled, trying to finish her food quickly, so she wouldn't have to spend any more time in his presence. She really wasn't in the mood today. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him biting back laughter at her childish behaviour, and she quickly left the room without a backwards glance, assuming he'd get the message to leave.

Once in her room, she decided to get on with some work, before realising she'd left it on the dining table. Well she wasn't going back there again, not to get laughed at by him. It irked her that he thought she was a joke, she wanted him to respect her and think of her as something more than a typical airhead.

Moments later, there was a knock on her door. _No guessing at who that could be_, she thought, as she considered ignoring it.

"I know you're in there, so it's a bit silly to pretend you're not," Paul called through the door, making her grin at their infantile behaviour.

"What do you want?" She rolled her eyes at him, as she opened the door.

"Peace offering?" He held up snacks, which he'd obviously got from Jake's secret stash of goodies. "You know, to apologise?" He added, shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably.

"I'm not hungry,"

He threw the snacks on her table before jumping on her bed and lying down, the fact he was on her bed made something inside her stir with longing. She mentally noted every part of his body as her eyes roamed over his big physique, which was taking up every inch of her bed at the moment. Not that she minded.

"You can always save them for later," He told her, referring to the snacks, before shifting to the right side of the bed and patting the spot beside him.

"You wanna join me?"

"I'm good," Rachel rolled her eyes at him again, before taking a seat at her desk and facing him. She really did want to join him, but her lack of experience with the opposite sex reminded her not to.

"It's not like I'm going to make a move on you... unless you want me to, that is," He winked, causing her to swoon inwardly. Why was he flirting with her so comfortably, while she squirmed uncomfortably. This was so unfair!

She decided to call his bluff, and see how he reacted if she acted the same way around him.

"Well, now that you've twisted my arm, why not?" She climbed on to the bed, snuggling in close to him, making sure to press herself against him, before resting her head on his shoulder.

"Huh?" He stared at her, obviously thrown by the sudden change in her.

"You know, for someone who came here to apologise, you haven't said the S-word yet," She turned her face to his, secretly relishing his shocked reaction.

She watched as he tried to distance himself from her, but the bed was only small, and he'd soon be in danger of falling off the edge.

"S-word? What?" He gulped, looking directly in to her face. "Oh yeh, Sorry?" He smiled at her, his features looking calm for a second, before going back to his usual controlled face.

"We really shouldn't be doing this," He finally said.

"Why? I thought this was what you wanted?" She looked back at him innocently, before bursting out laughing. "Your face! Fine I'll get off if it bothers you so much,"

"I think it bothered you more than it bothered me,"

"What?" She sat up, looking back at him.

"You want me," He winked.

"I'd rather get with a dog," She returned.

"Funny you should say that," He mumbled, before sitting up beside her.

"Because you are one? A dog, I mean,"

"Yeh, turn in to one every night," A smile played on his lips as he said this. "But I like to think I'm more wolf-like than dog,"

She laughed. "Do you remember those silly tales they told us as kids? Older generations turning in to wolf spirits or something?" She felt him stiffen as she said this, seeing the features tightening on his face.

"What? Don't tell me you believe all that bullsh-"

"You don't even know what you're talking about," He told her seriously. She wasn't sure if he was joking or not, but it would seem so stupid for an adult to believe in fantasy stories, clearly created for the entertainment of children.

"You're kidding right?" She felt his whole body quivering, shaking so hard that he was making the bed move under him. "Are you okay?" He was starting to scare her now. She watched his body shake convulsively, waves spreading through his body, while he screwed his eyes shut trying to gain control.

She didn't know what to do to calm him, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. Suddenly an idea came to her, and she reached over and held him like he was one of her students. Granted he was bigger than her, but he soon started to calm, and the waves running through his body got slower, until they were gone altogether.

She held his face in the palm of her hands, trying to come to terms with what had just happened.

"You okay?" She whispered, their faces inches away from each other.

He nodded, his eyelids hooded over, so they wouldn't betray what he was really feeling.

"I should go," He got up quickly, and was already at the door.

"Wait!" He turned towards her, looking at the floor to avoid eye contact. "Do these happen often? These panic attacks?"

He looked at her, shaking his head, and she saw the alarm in his eyes. He was scared by what had just happened, but he wasn't surprised. _Something isn't right, _she thought.

"Thanks," He stood sheepishly in the doorway, "You just saved us both from a lot of bother,"

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing," and with that he bolted out the door. She could hear his footsteps making their way down the stairs and out the door. She walked to the window and watched him until he disappeared around the corner.

Rachel sighed, and reminded herself to ask Jake about Paul's odd actions later. For now, she had a lot of work to get through before the weekend was over.


End file.
